Sex – Surf – LSD – Rock & Roll

Bunker Spreckels

It is said that we humans are drawn to the sea. Perhaps it is because there was a time that we were as the dolphins; gliding through the water, following the waves and leaping with abandon. Maybe in our inner core we remember the feel of silken waters against our skin, the thrill of a sudden burst of speed as we breach the water to become airborne, if only for a moment. Sounds a bit like surfing, doesn’t it?

To some of us that call of the sea is more than a whisper. It is a necessity. It is life as we wish to live it. It requires sacrifice. How many of us are brave enough to shed the trappings of society, turn our backs on incredible wealth just to live on a beach and follow the waves? Bunker Spreckels was. Bunker Spreckels is surfing’s greatest legend.

Born into the Spreckels Sugar dynasty, Adolph Spreckels III was set for life. Already in the limelight of high society, at the age of five his life became even more of an open book. Clark Gable became his step-father. Now Hollywood watched his family’s every move. He learned about the glitter and glamour of the film trade and as he grew older, discovered its down side. So much of that glitz was a smoke screen that covered up the hard working, back stabbing and politically motivated high pressure industry that movie making really was.

DemonFactory Bunker Spreckels YouTube Video

A young man with unlimited funds, he was equipped to live a wild lifestyle as a privileged king of the party. He was ultimately passionate about and revolutionized surfing. To his demise though, he surfed in a sea of debauchery filled with beautiful women and drugs, and eventually at the age of 27, his fast and free philosophy of living created the waves, so to speak, that ended his life. He took a road so far into that sea of debauchery that the surfing sadly, began to play second fiddle to drug abuse, sex parties with the beautiful women, and wild spending sprees. During the final two years of his life, at the age of 25, Bunker Spreckels invited photographers and writers (hoping to create a documentary), to follow him into this exotic alternative lifestyle of his. His wish was that they would cultivate an epic story of his rise into infamy and wealth beyond imagine. Before the project, which was titled “The Player”, was finished, Bunker Spreckels’ life very suddenly ended. It was said to be “natural causes” that killed him.

The Gables tried to keep the family out of the spotlight as much as possible, but the press, though not as aggressive as today, were always after a picture or a story. Publicity sold films. Clark Gable was a movie star, pure and simple. Anyone around him was fair game. For all that, Clark was very much a father figure for Bunker, teaching him to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors. Then at age eleven, Bunker lost that teacher when Clark Gable died.

It is hard for any boy of that age to lose a father, but compound that with the added pressure of a country documenting that loss, of never being able to escape the headlines on newspapers lining the streets or the endless news reports on TV. The seeds for his escape from society maybe were planted then. All they needed to grow were the excesses of his teen years, the fast living life he led partying on the beach with his string of girlfriends, no doubt wondering if it was him or his fortune they were seeking. The one constant in his life was the sea, the surf.

Bunker attended Saint Johns Military Academy during part of his youth. He even had dreams of completing military school and going on to joining the United Stated Air Force, where he though he would travel in missions to Vietnam. His family wanted him to become an International banker or Ambassador. Bunker had other ideas.

Bunker Spreckels was being groomed to fit into an elite social status. He was dating Miss Teen California and running about with a $5000 bankroll in a luxury car. Living at the Gable ranch allowed this young rebel in the making to explore the California underworld of surfing in the 60′s, a scene tainted by drugs and wild sex.

One day, tired of the lifestyle of the rich and famous, Bunker ran away. Perhaps “ran away” is not the proper term. In reality he left to follow his passion for surfing as much, or more, than to escape the eyes of the press and the hangers on that followed his every move. What better way to do that than to move to the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii where the sands were warm, the surf was bitchin’ and life was simple. No one cared if he was Adoph Spreckels III or Clark Gable’s step son. He could just be himself.

Bunker Spreckels

He was no stranger to the land of Aloha. The Spreckels family was well thought of by the native Hawaiians for having supported King David Kalakaua during the struggle for control of the islands. The beach boys at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel taught Bunker to surf, fish and handle a canoe during family visits. Back on the mainland he perfected his art of surfing, following the waves at every opportunity.

Bunker was welcomed back by the Hawaiians with open arms. Some even considered him to be a reincarnated Hawaiian prince because of his affinity for the water and respect for the sea. For the moment he was able to live simply, at peace. Bunker made a living designing and building surfboards, coming up with designs that were decades before their time. He would test his short, hard edged boards in the sometimes monster waves of the North Shore, perfecting his style and his creations. Bunker was riding the pipeline right when no one else had. His board designs were unique in style as he lead the charge of some of the first short boards.

As word grew of his skill both on the water and in his designs the international magazines found him and the articles began. Bunker’s island hideaway was no longer a secret. He moved to the lesser known islands of Hawaii, trying to reclaim his obscurity. For a while it worked. Then, when he was 21 the mixed blessing of his inheritance came into play.

Bunker Spreckels

In true Bunker fashion, he hired an armoured car and collected the entire $50 million in cash only to have it driven away to a secret location. But while he would no longer have to rely on selling surfboards to get by, the money attracted instant “friends” as well as the press and suddenly he was back in the limelight.

Strangly, Bunker used a special hiding place for his money as well as other things. He called it his secret cave. When asked more about during the late 1976 interview he said, “It’s just a place I have that nobody knows where it is, where I keep certain objects, art treasures, things I don’t want people to see. Plus, it’s where I can go do things that I don’t want people to know that I’m doing. It’s just a secret place that I have here on the earth where I can go and be alone. I’ve got all my things of value hidden there, and everything is arranged very neatly. It’s like, you know, the Batcave or something.”.

The day that Bunker brought an armored car to the bank and withdrew the money, in cash, was the beginning of en era of never ending indulgences. He begin spending lavish nights out at expensive restaurants, eating better than ever before, as he stated in an interview, boasting of his daily steak dinners and minimum of $500 bar tabs at the Royal Hawaiian and other North Shore locals.

Bunker’s lifestyle changed from that of a fun loving carefree surf boy to that of drug filled excess. He indulged in a string of one and two night stands, even bragged of laying 64 women in one week. Taking LSD became a daily ritual. No longer content to live the life of an island boy he partied around the globe in such posh properties as Hotel George V in Paris, Hotel Edward in South Africa, Kuilima Estates in Kahuku and the Sunset Tower in Hollywood.

His days were spent surfing while under the influence of LSD, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and mixtures of psychedelic drugs that he himself created. Bunker’s night took an even more exotic turn, as he spent them fornicating with multiple women and using more drugs. He would throw money around, and sleep around, the entire time remaining in a drug induced state of euphoria. His friends and fellow surfers described him as “the funnest person to be in the water with”, as he spread his wealth and drugs around to everyone in his path. He was the life of the party.

Bunker Spreckels

Bunker became unpredictable, volatile at times. In an interview with Juice Magazine, one of his friends, photographer Art Brewer told of being shot at by a very angry, very out of control Bunker. Unsubstantiated rumors of involvement with the South African diamond trade also circulated.

Through all of this, Bunker kept on following the waves. The plus side of his fortune was that it enabled him to surf the world. Besides hitting almost every surfable beach in the Hawaiian Islands, he frequently came back home to challenge the California waves. Bruce’s Beauties in Africa were also high on his list for rideable waves.

Bunker Spreckels Backdoor Pipe

Bunker has made comments that he fathered two children. Also, some have said that he was married. There are other things that continue to add to the Spreckels myth.

But for all the fame and fortune, perhaps even because of it, the excesses of his fast lane life style caught up with him at the age of 27 when he died suddenly of heart failure. It is rather ironic that he died less than three months after finishing his tell all interviews with his friend CR Stecyk III in the winter of 1976.

Bunker spoke of his family, his life, his drug use. He told of his dreams to pursue music, perhaps even making a film or two. But the most telling was when he more than hinted that he was done with surfing. Perhaps he had a premonition. It could also be that when he decided to turn away from that which he had loved for so long, it literally broke his heart.

When Bunker Spreckels had invited the photographers and future documentary makers into his world, in an effort to capture the insanity of it all, he had no idea that the images taken and statements made would be the last bits of evidence that would tell his story. The book that allows us to peak into Bunker Spreckles’ carnival of sex, drugs and surfing is “Surfing’s Divine Prince of Decadence” by Art Brewer and CR Stecyk. It chronicles Bunker’s extraordinary experiences and his final two years here on earth. Images of Spreckels both surfing the waves and roaming the scene exhibit Spreckels’s changes from the described hippie surfer to the infamous internationally known playboy. Stecyk’s extensive interviews with Spreckels and Art Brewer’s photographs were completed three months before his death. Through this pictorial, biographical accomplishment and first-person perspective, we are able to catch a rare glimpse into the decadence and craziness that filled Bunker Spreckles’ life. Drugs, sex and surfing consumed Bunker Spreckels and his life weaves tale of road trips, unbelievable partying excursions, extravagant spending and what those who had known him call unforgettable adventures into the world of this “Surfing’s Divine Prince of Decadence.”

Below is the YouTube video from Bunker77.com. There is a DVD to be released on Bunker. At the time of the article it has yet to happen. -RS